The Living Tribunal (Bio)
History The Living Tribunal is a vastly powerful conceptual being,one who has existed since the Omniverse came into being. The Living Tribunal's only superior is The-One-Above-All, the entity which is apparently responsible for the existence of all life in the Omniverse, and possibly beyond.All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6 The Living Tribunal often interacts with other conceptual beings,serving as their arbiter and judge. The Living Tribunal appears as a giant yellow humanoid with three faces,each representing a different personality. It has a blank space where a fourth face could be exhibited. The Living Tribunal has suggested that this fourth face became the enigmatic cosmic entity known as the Stranger.All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #11: Stranger's entry Even Beings as great as Eternity,Infinity,Death, and Oblivion are subjects to the Living Tribunal's authority. Unlike the other conceptual beings,the Living Tribunal does not possess counterparts in other realities, only one Living Tribunal exists in the Omniverse,and it is responsible for all judgments. The Living Tribunal's apparent base of operations is a dimension known as the Star Chamber, and it is served by lesser creatures called the Magistrati,who assist in judging matters where the Living Tribunal cannot intervene. The Living Tribunal also helped fashion the twin cosmic Entities the Brothers,each of whim became the guardian of a different Megaverse, within the larger Omniverse but encompassing more than a single Multiverse.The Adventures of the X-Men Vol.1 No.12 The Living Tribunal is not guided by any motivation or desires, but is entirely impartial, acting only in what it determines to be the greater interests of the universe. The Living Tribunal is more than willing to sacrifice millions of lives for the sake of billions more,or even billions for the sake of trillions, and will not deign to address the concerns of any lesser being without first establishing a plaintiff's importance. When the Earth-616 Sorcerer Dr.Strange Brought the Creature Zom to Earth in order to help Drive off the sorceress Umar,The Living Tribunal was forced to intervene and banish Zom from Earth before he could destroy humanity. However,Zom's mere presence on Earth had tainted all life with the creature's evil. and the Living Tribunal informed Dr.Strange that Earth would have to be destroyed for the greater good. After convincing the Living Tribunal that he was a powerful sorcerer, Dr.Strange won the right for reprieve, gaining time to try and eliminate Zom's contamination. Dr.Strange received the Staff of Solar Power from the creature Nebulos to absorb the evil magic, most of which was contained within Baron Mordo, but once the staff took Mordo's excess power,Nebulos claimed it for himself. The Living Tribunal intervened to face Nebulos, and Dr.Strange helped the Living Tribunal defeat him. The Living Tribunal destroyed the staff rather than the Earth,eliminating the threat.Strange Tales No.157Strange Tales No.158Strange Tales No.159 When Dr.Strange next encountered the Living Tribunal,he was informed that due to his works and heroes like him,the balance between good and evil on Earth had been tipped to good's favor,and that the Tribunal would have to release the In-Betweener to balance to the two sides in the interests of the cosmic entities Lord Chaos and Master Order. Opposing the In-Betweener, Dr.Strange was defeated. However,the spaceknight Rom argued on behalf of his mission to destroy the Dire Wraiths,stating that the Wraiths might yet tip the scales on Earth to evil's benefit. Rom observed that his presence on Earth would act as a balance to the Wraiths evil,and the Living Tribunal agreed with him,and withdrew the In-Betweener.Rom Vol.1 No.41 The Korvac of Earth-82432 accumulated such power that the Living Tribunal sealed that reality to prevent it from affecting others,removing the barrier only after that Korvac had used the Ultimate Nullifier to destroy himself and his entire universe. When Earth-616's Omnipotent Beyonder threatened to eradicate Death itslef,the Living Tribunal joined other cosmic entities in manifesting before the Beyonder to halt him. Although the Beyonder succeeded in destroying Death, he soon realized that the universe needed Death, and his friend Dave sacrificed himself to become the new Death.Secret Wars II No.6 When the Living Tribunal first encountered the Silver Surfer, it submitted to him the concept that he was Galactus opposite number, and allowed the Surfer to become one with the universe for a moment. The Surfer was awestruck by this experience. When Earth-89112's reality was overrun with demons,the Living Tribunal nearly destroyed it,but that Earth was redeemed by its counterpart of the Phoenix Force, which eradicated all of the demons. The Living Tribunal then had the Phoenix Force depart from Earth. Shortly after attending the funeral of the Earth-616 reality's cosmic entity Eon,the Living Tribunal was petitioned by many of reality's conceptual beings,who were threatened by Thanos ascendance to godhood after claiming the six Infinity Gems. Although Eternity argued that Thanos was seeking to supplant its role in the universe,the Living Tribunal simply observed that it was the nature of all life, and should be allowed to play out. However, when the gems wound up in the custody of Adam Warlock, the Living Tribunal ordered that they be divided among six caretakers and never be allowed to act in unison,as Warlock was too unstable to retain that power, In so doing, the living tribunal demonstrated that his power surpassed that of the gems. When Warlock's evil side, the Magus,rendered Eternity comatose, Galactus argued for the Living Tribunal remove its ban on the gems so that Warlock could use them to defeat the Magus. Although the Magus obtained the gems himself, he was soundly beaten because he lacked the Reality Gem, Eternity and Infinity defeated him, then had the restriction placed on the gems again. Eternity held a private hearing with the Living Tribunal to argue against the Infinity Watch's continued custodianship of the Gems, but the Living Tribunal judged against Eternity. However, the Living tribunal confide to eternity that because the Infinity Watch were within him,yet not under his control, he had obtained a gift of unpredictability which he should treasure. When the powerful Star Brand of Earth-148611 (the "New Universe") was inadvertently brought into the Earth-616 dimension by Quasar (Wendell Vaughn),it was wielded at first by his Girlfriend Kayla Ballantine,then seized by Ereshkigal, a Deviant. She attempted to conquer the Nexus of All Realities and challenged the Living Tribunal. To determine the fate of the Multiverse, they chose as champions Quasar and the Silver Surfer. When Quasar realized he was Erishkigal's champion,he allowed himself to lose, and the Living Tribunal claimed the Star Brand, returning it to Kayla and used it to bring Earth-148611 into the Earth-616 dimension, the Living Tribunal placed a barrier around the planet to keep the Star Brand Energies from further contaminating the 616 reality. Kayla was left behind on that world because she had wielded the brand. When formerly heroic mystic Dr.Druid summoned forth the demon Slortioth in order to prematurely advance the War of the Seven Spheres which the mystical Vishanti were engaged in,the Vishanti summoned the Living Tribunal and it judged against Slorioth, banishing it from Earth. When Earth-4321 Thanos gained vast power again through the Heart of the Infinite,the Living Tribunal joined champions from across reality to challenge him. Thanos destroyed all that existed with his power,but subsequently had a change of heart and restored reality, ridding himself of his power, the re-created universe lacked the terminal flaw which Thanos had sought to cure.Marvel Universe: The End No.5 (Non-Canon Event) Recently, the Magistrati employed Earth-616's She-Hulk to serve in the Star Chamber and assist them in judging cases from through the universe. During her time in the Star Chamber, She-Hulk earned the enmity of Zoma the Watcher for forcing his brother Qyre to be stricken silent. She also met the challenge of the Champion of the Universe when he lorded over the population of Skardon with his Power Gem, and ultimately bested him in combat. In the 31st century of Earth-691, the Living Tribunal was nearly usurped by the Protege, whose ability to duplicate the powers of others allowed him to manifest the Living Tribunal's own power. Although the Guardians of the Galaxy struggled futilely against the Protege,it was Scathan the Celestial who saved Reality by Judging against him, and the Living Tribunal absorbed the Protege into itself to prevent him from endangering reality again. Before Time Runs Out Earth-616 Uatu the Watcher had informed Tony Stark of a major secret that he found the Living Tribunal carcass on the Moon New Avengers Vol.3 No.8. During Time Runs Out Hank Pym was sent to find the enigmatic Rabum Alal but he returned with horrible information that he witness what happened to the Living tribunal a fight between him and 3 of the rogue omnipotent Beyonders who were the beings who genocide the celestial races and including the cosmic beings and their alternate versions which includes Eternity,Infinity,Lord Order,Master Chaos, and In-Betweener from across the Omniverse. It was the living tribunal the very multiverse taken form who fought these beings but he was out-powered and out numbered killing him with his carcass landing on all the known moons within the omniverse. New Avengers Vol.3 No.30 Personality The Living Tribunal manifests itself in a three-headed form. Each head representing a different facet of it personality: *Fully visible face represents Equity. *Fully hooded face represents Necessity. *Half hooded face represents Revenge. The face which addresses a plaintiff identifies which personality is guiding the Living Tribunal's decisions. Appearance The Living Tribunal is a giant yellow physically fit humanoid figure with a white circle in his chest wearing a purple cloth hiding his 3 faces it is said he has no true physical form. Powers and Abilities The Living Tribunal possesses virtually limitless power,the Living can survey the entire multiverse at once,obliterate planets or suns at will, and form impenetrable barriers around worlds or even whole universes. The Living Tribunal is the ultimate judge of creation whose task it is to maintain the balance of power between the universes! able to wipe out entire universes if necessary in order to protect this fragile balance. With only a few known beings able to surpass him in power is The-One-Above-All his creator,Beyonder (Pre-Recton Only) and the omnipotent race of The Beyonders. *'Near-Omnipotence:' The Living Tribunal has virtually unlimited reality warping powers and has unlimited control of Matter,Energy,Magic,Time, and even space itself he with held enough power to create a Megaverse and has casually resurrected the concepts within the universe with a single finger snap. *'Omnipresence:' The Living Tribunal simultaneously exist within all realities within the Omniverse. *'Omniscience:' The Living Tribunal is said to see the Past,Present, and Future events. *'Cosmic Awareness:' The Living Tribunal has full awareness of the entire Omniverse so all cosmic events he already knows from a destroyed universe to a destroyed planet. *'Perfect Indestructibility:' The Living tribunal is perfectly indestructible where no physical,mental, and or spiritual attacks may even damage or even scratch him only beings who can are the ones who wield the power of Omnipotence. *'Size Manipulation:' Living Tribunal has the power to change his size at whim to infinite amounts. *'Teleportation:' The Living Tribunal can teleport any being within the Omniverse including himself. Trivia *The Living Tribunal has only two non-canon event appearances which includes the Marvels The End and Last Planet Standing. Reference Category:Marvel Comics Character Category:Cosmic Being Category:Male Category:Nigh-Omnipotent Category:Omnipresent Category:Omniscient Category:Comic Book Characters Category:Canon Character Category:Neutral Character